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CBS Delaying 'Star Trek: Discovery' To Maintain Quality (foxnews.com)

New submitter Zorro shares a report from Fox News: The premiere of "Star Trek: Discovery" on CBS' subscription streaming service, CBS All Access, was postponed nine months to maintain the quality of the brand. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman told the Television Critics Association Tuesday that they "spent a lot of time" discussing how to create this new world for TV that felt authentic to the "Star Trek" universe. Also during that time, executive producer Bryan Fuller decided to exit the series as showrunner to focus on other projects. Kurtzman said "it became clearer and clearer" that the targeted January debut would "compromise the quality of the show," so it was pushed with the blessing of CBS Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves.

33 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. Stinker by sexconker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They've got a real stinker on their hands and they know it.
    9 months to fix it? Good luck. That's long enough to tell us that there are serious fucking problems, yet not long enough for them to fix them.

    I expect this will either be delayed further, outright canned, or just put out as-is and never spoken of again.

    1. Re:Stinker by imidan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They've got a real stinker on their hands and they know it.

      In the long history of Star Trek, that knowledge has never stopped them before... and I say this as a fan of the franchise.

    2. Re:Stinker by mhkohne · · Score: 3, Interesting

      There's no way they don't ship it at this point, but given that the current plan is to make it available via their Streaming service, I bet when it tanks they blame streaming instead of the show.

      We'll see, but I'm not hopeful.

      --
      A thousand pounds of wood moving at 300 feet per minute. Don't get in the way.
    3. Re:Stinker by TWX · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Also as a fan of the franchise, after what Abrams did to it I didn't bother watching any more Star Trek movies.

      There's always been a lot of escapist space-opera. Star Trek usually offered something greater than that, even when using an episodic, rather than a serialized format. Granted, that something-greater isn't for everyone, as there are a lot of people that like the escapist space-opera stuff that don't like Star Trek, but that's OK, they've managed to create well over 500 hours of content and are arguably the most successful science fiction media franchise in history, so clearly there's enough audience for what Star Trek has offered to justify it.

      The problem is that if one attempts to change it to make it appeal to even more people then that special-something that built the fanbase in the first place is lost, and I have no doubt that more fans would be lost than would be found in the new format, at least for something that requires as much commitment as a weekly TV series.

      TV shows struggle to find the balance between character-interaction/development and the situations that the characters find themselves in. Too much of one or the other and the audience shrugs and tunes in to something else. From what little I've heard about this new series it was going to be far too much on characters and not nearly enough on big-picture situations. Hopefully someone at CBS or whoever manages the franchise will realize that unless they manage to walk a fine line, they're going to end up spending a lot of money producing a show that doesn't build an audience.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    4. Re:Stinker by zippthorne · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If there's one place where SJW's belong, it's Star Trek. Frankly, the reboot movies were kind of boring because they were generic action flicks with none of the social commentary that Roddenberry was all about. Speculative fiction in general is partly built on presenting social issues with some of the prejudices stripped away through the use of alien ideas.

      Even if the positions are silly or the metaphors don't hold up under scrutiny, at least they could've tried, rather than done yet another safe-but-not-super J.J. "I know how to start a story but have no clue how to finish it" Abrams vehicle.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    5. Re:Stinker by zippthorne · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Everyone is in some weird 1% that doesn't quite fit in.

      Maybe I'm using the wrong definition of SJW; I have been assuming it's a term for people who are so enamored with the idea of fighting for civil rights, that they don't really examine whether they're helping things get better, but there's a kernel that they are fighting for that either was at one time an issue or still is at least somewhat of an issue.

      And that's why I think Star Trek is a good home for them: Star Trek was sometimes overbearing in its social commentary and that's part of what made it Star Trek. With that, though, you can help get people thinking about what's really going on and what should be better.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    6. Re:Stinker by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This whole thing has had "trainwreck" plastered all over it at least since Bryan Fuller left. Fuller has a great TV track record and solid Trek experience. When he doesn't want anything to do with a Trek project, you know it must be a piece of shit.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    7. Re:Stinker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Complaints about "SJWs" are always more informational about the complainers than demonstrative about the complainee.

    8. Re:Stinker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I would disagree with you 100%. The message of star trek was that race and sex don't matter. They had a diverse cast to show that everyone was the same. The world of Star Trek is a strict meritocracy.

      The message of "Social Justice" is the complete opposite of this. SocJus declares that race and sex matter more than anything else. SocJus declares meritocracy to be racist and sexist.

    9. Re:Stinker by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      People seem to forget how bad all the other Star Trek series were at first. TNG had a really bad first season, and the original series had one failed pilot and a difficult start too. Even DS9 and Voyager weren't brilliant from the get-go.

      Having said that, the trailer for Discovery looks okay. At most I'd say it's too early to pass judgement.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    10. Re:Stinker by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3

      Star Trek Continues released a new episode at the weekend. It's another masterpiece, Trek at its very best. And it manages to deal with a modern social issue, migration and refugees, in a way that presents different arguments and views while creating drama and interest for the viewer.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    11. Re:Stinker by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      I thought DS9 was pretty well-written from the get-go, but some of the acting was severely painful, like worse than Babylon 5 in the first season painful. IMO Voyager took at least two years to really get going. I rewatched both not too long ago.

      Having said that, the trailer for Discovery looks okay. At most I'd say it's too early to pass judgement.

      I'd say it's too little footage to pass judgement. But if they're spending the next nine months fixing it somehow, then you couldn't make a call anyway because they might fix it or break it somehow.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    12. Re:Stinker by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      The headline is misleading. The September launch date is still going ahead, it was just supposed to be January, i.e. 9 months ago. The trailer is what it's going to be like when it starts next month.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    13. Re:Stinker by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 2

      In the long history of Star Trek, that knowledge has never stopped them before... and I say this as a fan of the franchise.

      Obligatory Penny Arcade

    14. Re:Stinker by GNious · · Score: 2

      ST:DS9 took about until the middle of 3rd season before it got good - sorta coincided with certain people having left DS9 to work on ST:Voy

    15. Re:Stinker by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Race mattered in Star Trek. Allowances were made for Worf due to being a Klingon, for example. And it wasn't quite as post-racial as people think, e.g. Riker's reaction when some Ferengi were invited to the Enterprise and he couldn't hide his disgust, even asking for them to be quartered well away from his own dwelling.

      Where "social justice", or rather some of the movements that are labelled as such, say that race and gender matter they are just accepting reality as it is. In reality men and women are different, and have slightly different needs in some situations. In reality, some races are disadvantaged in some societies, and trying to ignore that and pretend that we are a perfect meritocracy is not very helpful.

      Trek is mostly post-feminist though, at least by TNG times. During the TOS era women couldn't become starship captains for some reason, which today seems ridiculous.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    16. Re: Stinker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If you read the first two books of Plato's Republic, you'll find six or seven contrasting definitions of Justice. Even the ancient Greeks knew that "justice" was a beautiful-sounding word promising some vague celesetial virtue whose earthly manifestation could be anything convenient to the person speaking at the moment.

      Never fight for buzzwords. Fight for specific, quantified goals.

    17. Re:Stinker by Mashiki · · Score: 2

      Another MRA, looking for any excuse to blame SJWs.

      So which ones are currently being played up by the gatekeepers of media, politics, intelligentsia and so on? And have been played up for the better part of a decade now. Right. That's not a "excuse to blame" it's that there's a very heavy push by people living in a bubble trying to push their garbage onto everyone else. It wasn't the right that embraced identity politics, it isn't the right pushing segregation like someone in 1952. It's not MRA's pushing supremacist garbage, and it's not MRA's crying a made-up rape culture. Nor are they the ones crying that men using affirmative action policies will create a climate of fear and rape on campuses either...or ironically enough trying to get it removed.

      I'll also point out that it isn't the MRA's standing in Berkeley with ban Free Speech signs either. Though it was social justice warriors, just like their little doxing and harassment bands. Or the numbers of them that have been caught and charged for faking hate crimes.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    18. Re:Stinker by Wulf2k · · Score: 2

      Remember when Janeway and Paris abandoned their lizard-babies on that planet without a second thought?

      I always felt that was something special.

  2. Headline by Thad+Boyd · · Score: 5, Informative

    I know the headline is Fox News's and not yours, but it really should be "delayed", past tense, not "delaying". The article is talking about the delays the show has already experienced, not a new delay. The show is still scheduled to premier on September 24, as the closing graf makes clear.

  3. Re:Don't expect intelligent discussion here by cunina · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Please link to one single comment, from anyone, whining that the new Star Trek isn't 100% white men. Just one.

  4. Re:doomed by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Exactly. The notion that we're all going to subscribe to tens of monthly streaming services at 12$ or so a pop (particularly just to watch a single exclusive series) is ludicrous. CBS was counting on this series to be their flagship for why you should subscribe to their service. The fact that the showrunner is now gone tells you that a) he quit because there was too much interference, or b) they fired him, thus proving there's too much interference.

  5. Kurtzman and Goldsman ARE serious fucking problems by denzacar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Whatever either Alex Kurtzman or Akiva Goldsman touch - it turns to shit.

    Though, granted, they did find a worse combination than joining Kurtzman with Orci, Jar Jar and Lindelof, as usual.
    I'm guessing that adding that "From the writer of "I Am Legend", "The Da Vinci Code", "Angels and Demons", "I, Robot", "Lost in Space", "Batman & Robin" and "Transformers: The Last Knight"" credit clinched it.

    But hey! At least they've gotten rid of the guy who worked on DS9 and Voyager!
    That'll make the Noo Trek so much better!

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  6. Re:Saw the preview, it's not a "quality" problem by freeze128 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The original Star Trek only ran for 3 seasons, but created a *HUGE* following, and led to several movies, a few of which were actually good. TNG was a reboot and it lasted for 7 seasons, and also had a HUGE following. It followed the same formula, and it did great!

    Deep Space Nine - Star Trek on a space station. When the commander points his finger and says "Engage", nothing happens. That's why halfway through it's run, they brought in the Defiant.

    Voyager - Gilligan's Island in space. I didn't care that the Captain was a woman, but apparently the rest of the demographic did. Halfway though it's run, they dropped Kes and got Seven of Nine for eye candy.

    Enterprise - Star Trek with the guy from Quantum Leap. They deal with species that we never see in any of the other shows, and are missing the species that we WANT to see. Only lasted about 4 years.

    There is only one formula that works. That's what the viewers want to see. CBS is *NOT* going to do that, so Discovery will suck.

  7. Re:Saw the preview, it's not a "quality" problem by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

    The original Star Trek only ran for 3 seasons, but created a *HUGE* following, and led to several movies, a few of which were actually good.

    The original Trek had an amazing cast, presented a new view of the future, and pushed the boundaries of television at the time.

    TNG was a reboot and it lasted for 7 seasons, and also had a HUGE following. It followed the same formula, and it did great!

    TNG had an amazing cast, amazing writers, and generally high production values.

    Deep Space Nine - Star Trek on a space station. When the commander points his finger and says "Engage", nothing happens. That's why halfway through it's run, they brought in the Defiant.

    All true, but DS9 was still a well-loved show. That's why its run was long enough to have a halfway worthy of the name.

    Voyager - Gilligan's Island in space. I didn't care that the Captain was a woman, but apparently the rest of the demographic did. Halfway though it's run, they dropped Kes and got Seven of Nine for eye candy.

    Seven of Nine was not only better eye candy than Kes (although she had her own substantial following of fanboys) but also a stronger and more interesting character in every way, not merely mammarian.

    Enterprise - Star Trek with the guy from Quantum Leap. They deal with species that we never see in any of the other shows, and are missing the species that we WANT to see. Only lasted about 4 years.

    They should have spent more time with the Andorians. If they were going to do their stupid time travel thing they should have either made it last a lot longer and spent a lot less time with it, or wrapped it up a year earlier. But who didn't love the Andorians?

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  8. Too much change... by Zurkeyon3733 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    From what I saw, they are trying to change too much. We typically don't appreciate "Re-imaginings" of such an established universe... Klingons should look like Klingons. Seems like they are trying to sell it to a new generation too much, and ignoring the existing fan base, which is IMMENSE. This is probably going to backfire.

    1. Re:Too much change... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3

      It's hardly new for Trek - TNG re-imagined a lot of stuff, including the look for the Klingons. In any case, in the established universe (which this is part of, it's not a reboot) the Klingons did look different back then. There were the augmented Klingons and various other groups with different appearances.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Too much change... by cmdr_klarg · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's hardly new for Trek - TNG re-imagined a lot of stuff, including the look for the Klingons. In any case, in the established universe (which this is part of, it's not a reboot) the Klingons did look different back then. There were the augmented Klingons and various other groups with different appearances.

      Actually, the 're-imagined' Klingons first appeared in the first TOS movie.

      --
      THE SOFTWARE, IT NO WORKY!!!
  9. Re:Saw the preview, it's not a "quality" problem by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    DS9 was the best Trek show ever. It was the only one where the characters acted like anything remotely resembling real people.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  10. Re:Don't expect intelligent discussion here by Evil+Kerek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well you certainly are trying to prove it. Do you think your post has anything but trolling?

    The push for diversity, as Marvel has found, can't come at the expense of your target audience. I would also counter than ST:TNG, Voyager & Deep Space Nine had no diversity problem at all - I wasn't a fan of Voyager but I loved ST:TNG & Deep Space Nine. You can bow to the pressure of these fringe groups, but they are NOT the ones that are going to watch the shows. Look at GhostBusters. They got exactly what they asked for (plus a shitty script) and...those very people failed to support it. That's pretty much been the story. Look at Black Panther & The Crew. Quickly cancelled because...no one was interested. No one reads comics for that sort of political crap. I can watch the news if I want that garbage.

    The bottom line: It's about the money. If comics/movies about [pick your favorite PC flavor of the month] made them money, I PROMISE you they'd be all over it. If they come on with a solid stories and good acting, ST:D (HAHAHAHHAHA) will do fine. I simply have no faith the scripts will also not be a bunch of political PC BS.

    The other death knell is hijacking it to their streaming service. I don't plan to watch it regardless of where it broadcasts but I certainly am not going to sub to CBS to see it.

  11. Re:Saw the preview, it's not a "quality" problem by Rockoon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The original Star Trek only ran for 3 seasons, but created a *HUGE* following, and led to several movies, a few of which were actually good. TNG was a reboot and it lasted for 7 seasons, and also had a HUGE following. It followed the same formula, and it did great!

    A season when TOS was made was 26 episodes with a new season every year. A "modern" season is 13 episodes with a new season every year and a half.

    --
    "His name was James Damore."
  12. Re:Don't expect intelligent discussion here by Rockoon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The push for diversity, as Marvel has found, can't come at the expense of your target audience.

    Marvel found that "pushing for diversity" isnt a good business model, that those loud people that think something is wrong unless every single box is checked... are a minority.

    --
    "His name was James Damore."
  13. Re:Saw the preview, it's not a "quality" problem by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Informative

    I love DS9. The characters have depth, and the writers didn't treat each one as if they existed in a vacuum. They might have focused more on a particular individual for a specific episode, but the rest of the characters would still be believably intertwined in the story.

    Also, it had well-written and well-acted antagonists - that tends to make a show stronger (just like how the best Bond movies always had strong villains). Gul Dukat was complicated, conflicted, and amazing. Weyoun wasn't quite as deep, but Jeffrey Combs sold it (he also may have been the best thing about Enterprise). The Founders were evil and awful, but as you learned more you could see how they were driven down that path.

    I also really liked the way they wrote Benjamin and Jake Cisco. They weren't just father and son for the sake of the occasional plot line - they had a relationship which felt real (something TNG couldn't manage with Worf and Alexander).

    It seems like the main complaint I hear about DS9 is that some people just don't like long story arcs... but I'm not one of those people.

    --
    #DeleteChrome